Three and free.

Rumors have been percolating ever since the former prodigy, and current world’s favorite surfer, hoisted his third World Surf League Championship Tour cup above his head on Lower Trestles’ cobbled stone at the end of the 2024 season. While certain Brazilians wished to put an asterisk behind the feat due little wave wizard Filipe Toledo’s mental break, most applauded broadly.

A major accomplishment.

Though whispers, again, began directly that it would be Florence’s last go around. Those hushed voices grew louder, during the offseason, as the scraggly blonde refused to fully commit to a fourth title try and louder still after his longtime coach, Ross Williams, announced he was through.

Now, all fears confirmed as the North Shore legend, himself, has taken to his Florence brand to declare:

“I am excited to share my plans for 2025 – I’m going to spend the year exploring full-time, and looking to push my surfing as far as it will go.” – John John Florence

Do you have thoughts?

Sadness?

Happiness for the aforementioned brave coward?

Share with friends.

"We're surfing the rogue wave—backward, in sunglasses. Because we can."

We live in polarized days, broadly, though the surf world has been much insulated from the pitched partisanship haunting politics or sick-and-ball sport. Surfers, by and large, agree on basic fundamental principles. There are too many other surfers out there, for example, and the majority of them are kooks.

Well, the detente took a hard turn, yesterday, with surfers across the spectrum splitting into camps and digging right in. The explosion of sectarianism not at all related to a changing of the guard in the United States but rather IDW Comics’ controversial logo change.

The publisher, founded in 1999 and holder of the GI Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers and Star Trek titles amongst others, unveiled the artwork and received massive criticism from the general comic book reading public. VP of marketing, Aub Driver, became frustrated with the haters and released a scathing statement in defense, reading:

Hold on to your hot takes, because its official—we’re shaking things up! This isn’t your run-of-the-mill slapdash logo; we’re ushering in a whole new era with a logo so bold it practically leaps off the page and into your imagination.

We’re not just sprucing up a color scheme: we’re revamping, reinvigorating. and hitting the refresh button so hard it might just break. This isn’t a change of clothes—it’s our battle armor as we gear up for the next 25 years. Why? Because at IDW—short for “Idea and Design Works.” remember?—we’re all about big swings and even bigger ideas.

Our new logo isn’t just a fancy set of letters in a font type; it’s a unique symbol calling out to every reader to try something different. It declares that IDW isn’t only present in the comics industry; we’re leading the charge. We’re surfing the rogue wave—backward, in sunglasses. Because we can.

Surfers, worldwide, breaking hard.

One group insisting that “surfing the rogue wave — backward” a clear reference to backdooring a section.

The other demanding that it means surfing switch.

Which side do you find yourself upon?

Please make your case.

"I didn’t touch any water and straight elbow to reef..."

But what sort of curse has descended upon our World Surf League and who else should be worried? Days after multiple-time champion, and viral sensation, Gabriel Medina tore his pectoralis major, thus being forced to sit out the front half of the season, San Clemente’s Crosby Colapinto has announced he, too, has suffered catastrophic injury one week ahead of the tour opener.

The 2024 Rookie of the Year, who hails from San Clemente, took to Instagram to share:

Welllll… I broke my elbow surfing back door. On the third wave in this clip, I jumped forward off my board after the back spit because I was too deep, fell into the vortex of the lip, the lip ended up going straight to the bottom breaking the flat water, I didn’t touch any water and straight elbow to Reef. So grateful that it was my elbow and not something way worse. What really hurts the most is the timing of it all with the start of the year just a couple weeks away. But I am excited for this challenge that stands in front of me at this moment, And excited to see what comes out of this. “Challenges strengthen you and problems weaken you.” I am going into surgery on Wednesday and will keep everyone updated on how it all goes and the journey of coming back. Thank you to everyone who has reached out and who have sent the love. I will be back soon and this is all part of the journey. I just have to trust it. We are on the spaceship too many!

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A post shared by Crosby Colapinto (@crosbycola)

Medina, Colapinto and likely John John Florence whose coach Ross Williams announced retirement all but finalizing the three-time winner stepping away from the show. The former towhead will likely surf Pipeline, giving surf fans a brief glimpse of what they will miss once the League takes its talents to Abu Dhabi.

Slater gone too, only to surf the tour waves he enjoys courtesy of a magic wildcard.

Does the decimated draw dampen your enthusiasm for competitive professional surfing at its highest level?

Or, will all eyez now be upon the women’s field?

More exciting anyhow, tbh.